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Carol Barford

Associate Scientist; Director, Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Barford’s work focuses on environmental systems, including agriculture. Recent projects include a study of energy use on Wisconsin farms, an agro-economic analysis of biomass production for heat and electric power generation, and a study of infrastructure needed to support a biomass-based energy sector in Wisconsin. These projects reflect ongoing interest in environmental decision-support and data-constrained minimal models, and have been enhanced by collaborations with the Computational Ecology and Environmental Science Group at Microsoft Research (Cambridge, UK), IBM Research, and The Nature Conservancy.

During her post-doctoral work, Dr. Barford studied forest carbon cycling, and her synthesis of biometric and atmospheric methods of measuring forest carbon balance appeared in Science (23 November, 2001). In her Ph.D. thesis, Barford measured nitrogen stable isotope effects of denitrification and applied the results to track N2O production in agriculture and wastewater.

Barford is a native of central Illinois. She completed her B.A. in Biology and M.S. in Ecology at Boston University, and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at Harvard University. Dr. Barford held a post-doc in Atmospheric Chemistry at Harvard before coming to UW-Madison.

Key internet connections and locations at risk from rising seas

Sep 10, 2018 14:15 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Despite whimsical ads about computing in the cloud, the internet lives on the ground. Data centers are built on land, and most of the physical elements of the internet such as the cables that connect households to...

Economy

Canada Signals Delay in US Tariff Deal as Talks Shift to USMCA Review

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated that Canada is unlikely to secure a near-term agreement with the United States to ease tariffs on key sectors such as steel and aluminum. Instead, negotiations are now...

Oil Prices Climb on Venezuela Blockade, Russia Sanctions Fears, and Supply Risks

Oil prices extended their gains during Asian trading on Thursday as geopolitical tensions involving Venezuela and Russia heightened concerns over global crude supply. Market sentiment was boosted after U.S. President...

Asian Stocks Slide as AI Spending Fears and Global Central Bank Decisions Weigh on Markets

Asian shares fell sharply on Thursday as technology stocks came under renewed pressure, driven by growing investor concerns over heavy artificial intelligence spending and its impact on corporate balance sheets. Market...

Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Global Central Bank Decisions as Yen, Sterling and Euro React

The U.S. dollar remained steady against major global currencies on Thursday as investors positioned themselves ahead of key central bank decisions in the United Kingdom, Europe and Japan. Currency markets showed cautious...

BoE Set to Cut Rates as UK Inflation Slows, but Further Easing Likely Limited

The Bank of England is widely expected to cut interest rates on Thursday as signs mount that UK inflation is easing and economic growth is weakening. Financial markets anticipate a 25-basis-point reduction, bringing the...

Politics

Barham Salih Elected as Next UN High Commissioner for Refugees

The United Nations General Assembly has elected Barham Salih, former president of Iraq and a longtime advocate for democracy and human rights, as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The decision was...

Trump Signals Progress in Ukraine Peace Talks Ahead of U.S.–Russia Meeting

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine may be nearing a breakthrough, raising expectations ahead of planned talks between U.S. and Russian officials scheduled...

Argentina Unions Rally Against Milei’s Labor Reform as Congress Debates Key Bill

Argentinas main labor federation led a massive nationwide protest on Thursday against a controversial labor reform bill proposed by President Javier Milei, intensifying tensions as lawmakers begin debating the legislation...

Kennedy Center Reportedly Renamed Trump-Kennedy Center After Board Vote

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, one of Washington, D.C.s most iconic cultural institutions, is set to be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center following what was described as a unanimous vote by its board of...

Trump Announces $1,776 Cash Bonus for U.S. Military Personnel Ahead of Christmas

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening that eligible U.S. military personnel will receive a one-time cash payment of $1,776, a move he described as a special warrior dividend timed ahead of Christmas. The...

Science

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Technology

Apple Opens iPhone to Alternative App Stores in Japan Under New Competition Law

Apple has announced a major shift in its App Store policies in Japan, opening iPhones and other Apple devices to alternative app stores in order to comply with new competition laws aimed at reshaping the countrys...

Micron Technology Forecasts Surge in Revenue and Earnings on AI-Driven Memory Demand

Micron Technology delivered record first-quarter results and issued a bullish forecast for the current quarter, driven by rising memory prices and strong demand linked to artificial intelligence workloads. The upbeat...

Oracle Stock Slides After Blue Owl Exit Report, Company Says Michigan Data Center Talks Remain on Track

Oracle shares fell more than 4% on Wednesday after a Financial Times report claimed that Blue Owl Capital, Oracles largest U.S. data center partner, decided not to support a planned $10 billion data center project in...

OpenAI Explores Massive Funding Round at $750 Billion Valuation

OpenAI, the company behind the widely used AI chatbot ChatGPT, has reportedly entered preliminary discussions with investors about a potential new funding round that could value the company at approximately $750 billion....

Republicans Raise National Security Concerns Over Intel’s Testing of China-Linked Chipmaking Tools

Republican lawmakers are raising alarms over potential U.S. national security risks after a Reuters report revealed that Intel evaluated advanced chipmaking equipment from ACM Research, a company with significant ties to...